Fritzsche, Carl Julius

(in Russian, Iulii Fedorovich Fritsshe). Born Oct. 17 (29), 1808, in Neustadt, Saxony; died May 27 (June 8), 1871, in Dresden. Chemist and botanist. Member of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences (from 1852).

Fritzsche graduated from the University of Berlin in 1833. In 1834 he moved to Russia. His primary research was in organic chemistry. Fritzsche studied the derivatives of uric acid (1838) and determined the nature of murexide, the ammonium salt of purpuric acid (1839). He prepared anthranilic acid and studied its decomposition accompanied by the formation of CO₂ and aniline (1840). He discovered the reaction of picric acid with aromatic hydrocarbons accompanied by the formation of high crystallizing molecular compounds (1857). He also discovered carbazole in coal tar (1858) and the hydrocarbons retene and chrysene and produced pure anthracene (1867). In addition, he discovered (1868) a reagent sensitive to hydrocarbons, namely, beta-dini-troanthraquinone (Fritzsche’s reagent). Fritzsche took part in a study of Caucasian mineral waters.